Army chief visits Southern Command HQ

PUNE: Chief of Army Staff Gen Bikram Singh on Tuesday reviewed the preparedness of the Southern Army during his visit to the Pune-headquartered Southern Command.

Lt Gen A K Singh, GOC-in-C, Southern Command, briefed the army chief about the state of operational preparedness of the Southern Army. During his visit, Gen Singh also assured that problems of ex-servicemen in the country would be resolved.

Gen Singh, who is on a two-day visit to the city, interacted with senior functionaries of the Southern Command and addressed the officers of the station on the contemporary challenges facing the Indian Army, the collective efforts required in overcoming these and requirement of maintaining the highest standards of operational preparedness and discipline.

He also emphasised the need for value-based leadership, reiterating the Indian Army's ethos of commitment and professionalism.

In a first-of-its-kind experiment at the Southern Command, approximately 3,000 officers in 24 stations of the Southern Command were able to view the chief's address through a real-time video link.

In his interaction with ex-servicemen later, the army chief assured them of concerted effort towards amelioration of their problems. Since 2012 has been announced as the 'Year of Veterans', the army chief said that special attention would be given to solving their problems.

The army chief will be visiting the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla on Wednesday. He will then proceed to Bhopal, where he will review the operational preparedness of the Sudarshan Chakra Corps and address all army officers of the Bhopal Military Station.